I’ve seen enough.
Rob Thomson, despite four-plus years in the Phillies dugout as bench coach, was almost a complete unknown to most fans in this city the day he was named interim manager.
Five weeks later, I’m ready to make him the long-term manager. Yes, that includes removing the interim tag from his current title and handing the 58-year-old a two-year deal ASAP. That’s how impressive this season's turnaround has been. Thomson has already earned the right to stay.
I was among (the many) who thought Joe Girardi was awful in the dugout for this franchise. But the night and day difference in Thomson’s ability to communicate with players, project calmness into the clubhouse (and see it translate to the field) and reshuffle the bullpen into a strength has been incredible to watch. Thomson was supposed to be a placeholder, but is showing to be more.
Let’s start with Thomson’s personality and leadership ability.
It took me many years to truly value that over strategy in a manager, but it’s happened. Every team has data. Every team uses analytics to help managers make decisions. It’s tough to truly employ a dinosaur in 2022. So what separates the good managers from the bad ones in the modern game? Communication. Getting players to buy in. Calming the storm so players can be the best version of themselves. Thomson has excelled in each area, something the last manager could not.
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At the risk of hyperbole, there’s a Joe Torre quality to Thomson’s calmness. Torre, who Thomson worked under in the Bronx, didn’t win title after title in New York because of his strategic acumen. I’d argue that other than 1996, Torre never won anything with the less talented roster. He won by being a steady hand within a franchise that was always on the brink of chaos and carried an immense pressure to win. Think about this expensive and underperforming Phillies group from April and May. You could almost see expectations and disappointment weighing on them each night, and losses mounted. Since? It’s disappeared, and part of that is due to believing in the manager and having the manager believe in them.
Then there’s Thomson’s work with the bullpen. Considering how bad the bullpen was from 2020 through five weeks ago, calling Thomson a miracle worker wouldn’t be over the top. A bullpen that literally couldn’t be trusted with a six-run lead in the ninth inning vs. the Mets in May has suddenly morphed into the best in the sport. Thomson moved Seranthony Dominguez into the closer (and/or highest-leverage) spot, and its paid dividends. He effectively removed Corey Knebel from the role, yet found a way to get him back into important spots. Jose Alvarado has responded since his recall from the minors, Andrew Bellatti has been elevated to a more important role and Nick Nelson has found a home as a fireman in middle innings. It’s all worked, and the credit belongs to the manager.
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After Thursday’s series-clinching victory (making it eight series victories in Thomson’s first 10 series as the skipper) over the Nationals, Thomson cited communication with his bullpen as his theory on why they’ve begun to thrive. No one is surprised when they are called upon. No one is suddenly unavailable. Winning and losing is predicated on bullpen performance in today’s game, and Thomson has aced his first in-game test.
This, of course, wasn’t likely the plan.
If I had to guess, Dave Dombrowski had (and likely still has) a list tucked away somewhere of his next potential manager. Maybe names like Raul Ibanez or Don Kelly are near the top of it. But sometimes the best laid plans turn out to be unnecessary. In 2016, the Braves moved on from Fredi Gonzalez. Brian Snitker, a 60-year-old organizational coach was given the interim title to get the team through the season. He won the clubhouse over, and kept job. Atlanta has dominated the division ever since, and Snitker led them to a World Series title last fall.
Could Thomson be Philadelphia’s version of Snitker? It’s probably farfetched to expect it to turn out that well, but I’m the same person that scoffed at the idea of the Braves removing the interim tag on Snitker years ago. They were right. I was wrong. And Snitker was the right manager at the right time for that franchise. Perhaps the same situation is playing out in front of our eyes.
It’s still early in the Thomson era, but he’s got my support. He’s helped change this season, which now includes the huge loss of Bryce Harper. Through 33 games, Thomson’s 23-10 record is outstanding. That includes 7-4 without the reigning NL MVP. I don’t need a playoff trip to make Thomson the guy. That’s a very high bar considering where this team was on June 3rd, the strength of the National League, and Harper’s extended absence.
If there’s one critique I have of Thomson so far, it would be pushing (perhaps too far and too often) his starters deep into games with high pitch counts. Maybe it’s Thomson’s philosophy. Maybe it’s in part due to needing to win as much as possible in the short term with the long term not guaranteed. The Phillies can do something about that, and make Thomson more secure in his role.
Is five weeks enough to be sold? For some, it probably isn’t. But after watching this franchise butcher the end of the Charlie Manuel era, mistakenly think Ryne Sandberg was cut out for the role, scapegoating Gabe Kapler and overrating Joe Girardi, it would be nice to do the thing that is becoming more and more obvious by the day: Make Thomson the guy for now and the foreseeable future.
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